Tianliangyuan

Chapter 75 Someone Died

The boy and girl left behind by Xie Zheng were named Mai Dong and Zi Su by Xu Zhaozhao.

Although Mai Dong was young, he was still a boy, so it was impossible for him to serve in the inner courtyard. Therefore, Xu Zhaozhao arranged for him to be stationed in the front courtyard, specifically to relay messages for him, or to accompany him as a guard when he went out.

Perilla is also quite powerful, much stronger than clove and peony.

Xu Zhaozhao actually wanted to tell Xie Zheng that she was capable of protecting herself, but she didn't want to go against his good intentions.

Moreover, Xie Zheng was right about one thing: with Ophiopogon japonicus and Perilla frutescens around, it would be much easier for her and Xie Zheng to exchange letters, which would also allow her to send letters to her second brother.

If Xie Zheng knew that this was Xu Zhaozhao's true thought, he would probably be both angry and amused.

Jiang Wenchong received Xu Zhaozhao's instructions from Mai Dong, so after calculating the time, he lit incense in Ding Niangzi's room and then hid in the side room.

As for the servants in the inner courtyard, they were naturally sent away by Jiang Wenchong long ago.

While Ding Niangzi was fast asleep, Jiang Wenchong, as Mai Dong had instructed, opened a hidden compartment on her bed, took out a small locked box, covered it with his sleeve with trembling hands, and then went out through the back door.

Mai Dong took the small box, opened the small lock with a snap, took out all the contents, and then returned the box to him.

"Put it back exactly as it was. Also, leave as soon as you've put it back. Jiang Yanhui is coming."

"understood."

Jiang Wenchong was sweating profusely; he didn't even know what he had stolen.

As he shakily emerged from the back door, Jiang Yanhui also smoothly entered the house.

Fifteen minutes later, a fire broke out in the house. First came the screams of the servants, then cries for help and the footsteps of the neighbors coming to help.

a mess!

Under the bright sun, right under the emperor's nose, a raging fire naturally attracts the attention of the government.

The Daxing Dynasty had a dedicated firefighting unit, Wuhoupu, which was responsible for responding to and managing fires.

Wuhoupu has specialized firefighting equipment and personnel: Wuhou, who are responsible for patrolling and responding to fires.

Because most modern buildings are made of wood, and some buildings made of stone are also susceptible to fire damage over a long period of time.

The constables in Wuhoupu were all rigorously trained, and many of them were transferred from the military camp, so their physical condition was excellent. These people knew how to deal with fires and ensure that fires could be dealt with in a timely and effective manner.

Right now, it has alarmed Wuhoupu in Chang'an.

Moreover, several officials' families happened to be passing by and naturally noticed the fire.

Although these people didn't intend to put out the fire themselves, they were still eager to watch the spectacle.

When they saw Jiang Yanhui emerge from there disheveled, accompanied by a young woman in equally disheveled clothes, they knew they had another eight topics to discuss.

That very night, news of Jiang Yanhui's secret affair spread like wildfire, becoming common knowledge.

Even Emperor Yong'an, deep within the palace, heard several different versions of the story.

"Your Majesty, I have found out that Madam Ding is indeed having an affair with Second Master Jiang, and they have been together for three years. However, because of her lowly birth, he has never dared to bring her into his home and has kept her outside."

"Hmph, I thought he was a gentleman, but I didn't expect him to be so useless!"

Emperor Yong'an's impression of Jiang Yanhui plummeted instantly. He had originally thought that Jiang Yanhui was a scholar who had passed the imperial examination and had real skills, and with the connection of Grand Tutor Jiang, it would be fine to give him an important position.

But to my utter surprise, it turned out to be a breach of personal morality.

The Grand Steward only inquired about the general situation, after all, it wasn't a big deal. It was just something His Majesty wanted to hear for amusement on a whim, so he didn't really use any means to find out the truth about this Lady Ding.

But as long as it is confirmed that this Lady Ding came from a brothel, that is enough.

Given Jiang Taifu's status and temperament, how could he tolerate a prostitute entering his home?

Even the chief steward felt some sympathy for this Second Master Jiang.

Jiang Yanhui really embarrassed himself this time.

Many people saw him in such a disheveled state; as an official of the imperial court, this was a complete loss of face.

Now, after being personally whipped more than a dozen times by Grand Tutor Jiang, he was sent to kneel in the ancestral hall.

Daxing Law: Officials are prohibited from patronizing prostitutes.

Therefore, many officials keep mistresses outside the home without their families' knowledge, and Jiang Yanhui is not an exception.

The problem is, if they don't make a scene, it's as if nothing happened.

Moreover, many people treat this kind of thing as just for momentary pleasure, keeping a young wife like keeping a plaything, and generally won't keep her for too long.

It's really rare to see someone like Jiang Yanhui who has raised them for three years straight.

After all, if a woman comes from a respectable family, she will usually be taken into the man's household directly, whether as a concubine or a maid. She will be kept under his watchful eye to prevent her from associating with unclean people outside, which would only bring trouble upon herself.

Jiang Yanhui should actually be thankful that at least no one knows that Madam Ding has several other lovers; otherwise, it would be a huge embarrassment!

Furthermore, if verified, Madam Ding could very well be labeled as a shady brothel owner.

Jiang Yanhui would have essentially violated the laws of Daxing, and his career would be over in the blink of an eye.

Xu Zhaozhao didn't care how lively the Jiang family was. Now, looking at the things Mai Dong brought back, her eyes were filled with indifference.

There is some evidence of Jiang Yanhui accepting bribes. It is also because Ding Niangzi is clever and worried that she will be dumped by her lover again, so she secretly made an account. In addition, there is some evidence of private dealings between local officials and Jiang Yanhui.

Jiang Yanhui did indeed keep his actions a secret from the Jiang family, and it was only after trusting Madam Ding that he chose this place for some of the meetings.

Unexpectedly, I stumbled right away.

Since Madam Ding came from a family of prostitutes, she certainly couldn't enter the Jiang residence.

Xu Zhaozhao had seen those flying coins, which added up to a hundred ingots of silver. This Jiang Yanhui was far too greedy!

If converted into copper coins, this would amount to a million coins!

Jiang Yanhui's authority was far less than Jiang Yanping's, yet he was able to embezzle so much money, and this was only a part of it.

Tsk!

Xu Zhaozhao felt that if she could really bring down the Jiang family, it would be a great thing for the country and its people in the Great Xing Dynasty.

The following day at the court assembly, Jiang Yanhui was impeached by several censors. In the end, the emperor had no choice but to order him to be demoted one rank and have his salary reduced by one year.

The next day, the grievance drum outside the gate of the Jingzhao Prefecture was sounded, and a woman dressed in coarse linen clothes held a petition, begging the magistrate to redress the grievances of her master.

"Whom are you suing?"

The woman struck her head to the ground: "This humble woman accuses the censor Jiang Yanhui of embezzlement, perverting the course of justice, and murdering me to cover up my crime!"